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John's theme of darkness and light describes two approaches to life. The way that is out of step with God is considered the way of darkness, while the way that is attuned to God is considered to be the way of light. But since we cannot necessarily see the difference with our eyes, how can we tell if someone is in fellowship with God? Are there signs we can look for to help us discern who is truly a friend? John suggests that one clue is to be found in an obedient lifestyle.

For John, there are only two ways to live. There is a life of darkness and there is a life of light. Darkness has to do with fear and uncertainty; it is a realm of threats and secrets. There can be no lasting joy there. People whose spiritual lives are darkened tend to hang on to three ideas that help them cope. They presume that God is their friend regardless of what they do. They affirm that they are essentially good people. They insist that they have done nothing wrong. But in the end they will find that they were just whistling in the dark.

John's first letter doesn't start out in typical fashion. There is no greeting as such, no nice introduction. He jumps right in with a strong statement about his experience as a disciple and friend of Jesus. In just a few short lines we are given John's credentials - he was a first-hand eyewitness to the life of Christ on earth. We are also told the reason for the letter - to encourage fellowship and to bring joy. Fellowship for John works along two dimensions; towards one another as believers and towards God as worshippers. When both these dimensions of fellowship are working, joy is the sure result.

Although his brother - James - was murdered during the early days of the church, John the Apostle seems to have lived to a ripe old age. He wrote five of our New Testament books, culminating in the Book of Revelation which he wrote in exile on Patmos near the end of his life. That book and his Gospel are both remarkable for their distinctive character, and they give us insights into the influences that shaped the Apostle's thoughts and impressions. On the surface, John was a fisherman-turned-apostle who loved his friend the Lord Jesus profoundly. But look a little deeper and we find that the tapestry of John's thinking was woven through with Old Testament imagery. This rough and tumble Galilean knew his Bible.

A Galilean fisherman named Zebedee had two sons, James and John. Jesus gave these brothers the nick-name "Sons of Thunder" and along with Peter they made up His inner circle of three disciples. Their mother was ambitious for her boys - she lobbied Jesus to give them positions of high rank in the kingdom that He was to establish. But despite a possible reputation for strength of character and regardless of his privileged relationship with the Lord, the life-journey of James ended early and with only passing comment in the scriptures. What can we learn from a promising life cut short?

When Barnabas, Titus, and Paul came to Jerusalem to explain and discuss the Gospel they had been preaching to the Gentiles, they were greeted warmly and encouraged on their mission. But when Peter travelled up to Antioch, Paul found it necessary to confront him about his behaviour. Paul was investing himself into the lives of the Gentiles there, establishing firm friendships and developing Christian community amongst them. Peter's attitude and conduct towards them was demeaning and damaging to the effort. No matter how great his leadership, Peter had a blind spot. Who better to open his eyes than Paul?

Peter the apostle made a journey that took him down to Joppa. This is the old seaport where centuries before, the prophet Jonah had caught a ship to run away from God's call. Jonah resisted because he didn't like the idea of God being gracious to people that Jonah didn't think deserved God's grace.

And it was in Joppa that Peter had to learn a similar lesson. Similar in that God was still intending to extend grace to gentiles. But whereas Jonah ran because he didn't think the gentiles were good enough, Peter wrestled with the conviction that he was too good for the gentiles. His scruples wouldn't let him work with them. In Acts chapters nine and ten we find out that God's grace isn't intended only for an elite group of insiders. And that means rubbing shoulders with some outsiders!

The narrative of the sea voyage to Rome at first glance seems to be a long and complicated distraction in light of Luke the author's apparent intention to move us to the closing scene of Paul's defence before Caesar. Certain of the details of the voyage seem initially to serve no purpose within the overall plan of the story. But the journey has a message all of its own: the one binding factor in this sailor's tale is the sovereignty of God. Through it all, God remains in control of the fate of Paul and his companions.

Paul's third journey was a protracted one. Moving quickly through central Turkey, Paul then took time to consolidate the church at Ephesus and subsequently made plans to continue on to Macedonia and Greece. As could be expected from a young and dynamically growing Christian movement, much of this trip consisted of arguments, disputes and corrections, followed by a poignant farewell by Paul to his friends from Ephesus before returning under an ill omen to Jerusalem. The church had put down roots; but as any gardener might anticipate, there were also some unruly shoots to deal with.

When Paul had completed his expedition to central Turkey, he reported his experience to the Apostles in Jerusalem. Peter's experiences were also taken into account. They had both witnessed many Gentiles coming to believe in Christ. The church in Jerusalem convened a council to decide what to do. Did these Gentiles need to become Jews before they could become Christians? The council's gracious decision prompted a new wave of outreach. But Paul found that on his second journey, things were not quite so simple. He encountered some unexpected roadblocks, and some surprising diversions.